Have you had a chance to see our statue of Library Company founder, Benjamin Franklin? This circa 1791 statue was carved by Francesco Lazzarini from Carrara marble, and was originally placed in a niche over the entrance to the Library Company’s previous location on Fifth Street in 1792. It is now on permanent display in a niche in the facade of our current location: 1314 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107. Come check it out!

Benjamin Franklin. ca. 1791.  Lazzarini, Francesco, d. ca. 1808. Carrara marble ; 98 x 34 x 23 inches.

Library and Surgeon’s Hall, Fifth-street. 1800. Philadelphia.

“Four score and seven years ago . . “

President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863 at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA during the American Civil War. During the speech, the president said:

“We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”

This hand-colored broadside depicts the Battle of Gettysburg, which was fought July 1st-3rd, 1863, between Union and Confederate forces. The battle resulted in the Civil War’s largest number of casualties, and is often cited as the turning point in the war, as Union soldiers prevented the Confederates from advancing further North. 

The Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 3d. 1863. [graphic] New York: Pubd. by Currier & Ives, 152 Nassau St., [1863]. 1 print: lithograph, hand-colored; 25 x 34 cm.(9.75 x 13 in.)

#TBT to November 5, 1872, when suffragist Susan B. Anthony cast a vote for the first time, though it was against the law for women to vote. Regarding the vote, Anthony wrote to her friend and fellow suffragist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton “Well I have been & gone & done it!!” Anthony was later brought to trial and fined $100 for breaking the law, but that did not stop the suffrage movement. As one contemporary newspaper stated, “If it is a mere question of who got the best of it, Miss Anthony is still ahead. She has voted and the American constitution has survived the shock. Fining her one hundred dollars does not rule out the fact that…women voted, and went home, and the world jogged on as before.”

Susan Brownwell Anthony, 1820-1906. ca. 1870.  1 photographic print : albumen on carte de visite mount ; 4 x 2.5 in. (10 x 6 cm.) from the American Celebrities Album.

Hearty Halloween Hootenanny! #TBT (c1925) This group really embraces the Halloween spirit. #trickortreat

Halloween party given by the Craftsman Club of the Reading Co. [graphic]. Photo-Illustrators (firm), photographer.

#TBT to October, 1861 in Port Richmond, Philadelphia. This stereograph shows the remains of the I.P. Morris & Company Iron Works after a steam-boiler explosion destroyed much of the building. 

[I.P. Morris & Co. Works, Port Richmond, Philadelphia, after boiler explosion of October 19, 1861].  1 photographic print: albumen on stereograph mount; 9 x 18 cm.(3.25 x 7 in.)

A boisterous bash of bibliophiles! #TBT to LCP, May 2, 1881.

Detail of [Ye Annuale Meetynge of ye members of ye Philadelphia Lybrarie Companie]

We do not know much about this drawing by the Philadelphia painter Colin Campbell Cooper, other than it looks like Annual Meetings of years past may have been a spectacle! But, what is better than a glass (or many glasses) of wine with a good book? Maybe it’s a bottle of Rare Wine Co. Madeira dedicated to the Library Company. You can find out more at our unveiling event this weekend.

#TBT one-hundred years to Philadelphia circa 1915, when Hog Island was home to the largest shipyard in the world. Many believe famed Philadelphia sandwich - the Hoagie - was named for Hog Island. Legend has it Hog Island Shipyard workers created the “Hog Island Sandwich”, or “hoggie”, by combining various meats, cheese, and lettuce within a crusty roll.

What was once Hog Island is now home to the Philadelphia International Airport, where travelers from all over the world can still enjoy a beloved hoagie.

Hog Island shipyard, Philadelphia. ca. 1915.  1 negative : glass ; 17 x 22 cm. (6.5 x 8.5 in.) 

#tbt to Philadelphia in October, 1898. This lantern slide from our William Harvey Doering Lantern Slide Collection shows the Peace Jubliee Parade, a celebration of the end of the Spanish American War of 1898.   

[Peace Jubilee parade, military men marching along North Broad Street near Columbia Avenue, Philadelphia.] October, 1898  Doering, William Harvey, 1858-1924, photographer.

U. S. Constitution. August 7, 1787. John Dickinson Draft.

The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. #tbt to a draft of the Constitution annotated by John Dickinson, one of the future signers. Notice how the preamble lists each individual state. This was later changed to “We the People of the United States”, perhaps to convey the founding principle of unity.

Industrial parade, Constitution Centennial, Phila., Pa. 1887.

The United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. Here’s a #ThrowbackThursday to the Constitution Centennial in Philadelphia in 1887. This stereograph shows the industrial parade, which was a part of the festivities during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the signing of the constitution. Look closely: City Hall is visible in the distance!